Car roof



May 30, 1944. c. D. BoNsALl.

CAR ROOF Filed May 9, 1942 Y ESS /A//fA/ro:

Patented May 30, 1944 CAR Boor Charles David Bonsall. Chicago, Ill., assigner to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application May 9, 1942, serial No. 442,349

(o1. ics-5.4)

4 Claims.

This invention relates to metalcar roof constructions of the type wherein the roof sheets extend from side plate to side plate of the car and have upstanding flanges along their adjacent margins that are rigidly connected by a seam cap so as together to form standing Weatherproof seams which function as load carrying members of the roof structure after the manner of outside carlines.

Since the seam caps and roofs sheets are exposed to the weather, it is desirable to galvanize them to protect them against the action of moisture@ atmospheric acids, cinders and other products of combustion; and, for the effective performance of the seam cap as the load carrying member or outside carline of the roof structure, it is desirable to make the seam cap approximately twice as thick as the roof sheets. While it is practicable to press a galvanized sheet of one-sixteenth of an inch into a suitable shape for a yseam cap Without causing the zinc to ake from the base metal, it is not practicable to do the same with a thicker sheet because of the great probability of the zinc aking therefrom during the pressing operation.

The principal object of the present invention is to devise a car roof construction of the above type wherein the seam cap has a sound galvanized coating and is of greater thickness than has heretofore been practicable to make of galvanized sheets. Another object is to increase the weatherproong qualities and load carrying capacity of the roof. The invention consists in a car roof wherein the seam cap element or member of the standing seam is composed of a galvanized metal outside sheet and an ungalvanized or black inside metal sheet that are snugly die pressed together and riveted or otherwise permanently secured together and to the upstanding seam flanges of the roof sheets, the galvanized'outside sheet being thin enough to deform without aking and the two sheets providing a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area heretofore obtainable with a single galvanized sheet without danger of flaking. The invention also consists in continuing the base flanges of the galvanized Youter ply of the carline cap of the roof outwardly beyond the base anges of the ungalvanized inner ply of said cap and thence offsetting the marginal portions of the base flanges of said galvanized outer ply downwardly to seat on the roof sheets. The invention also consists in providing longitudinal passageways between the roof sheets and base flanges of the inner ply of the two-ply seam cap,

which passageways serve as drain panels for any water that leaks beneath the outer edges of said base anges and also serve to break the line of contact between said base flanges and sheets and thus prevent ow of water through the seam by capillary attraction. The invention also consists in the parts -and in the arrange-4 ments and combinations of Apartsohereinafter `described and claimed. This application is a con-` tinuation-inpart of my copending application Serial Number 384,8664 filed March 24, 1941, enl titled: Seam cap andprccess of lmanufa.cturing same. v

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like sym-l bols refer to like parts Wherever4 they occur,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portionA of a car roof construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical v transverse section through the eaves portion of the roof, the section being taken adjacent to one of the roof seams 'on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section throughthe roof on the line 3-,3 in Fig. 2,v

Fig. 4 is a perspective 'view of a portion of a unitary two-ply seam cap of modifiedA construction; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 show-y ing ,a further modicationof the invention.

In the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown embodied ina vcar roof comprising metal side plates A of substantially Zeshaped cross section with their inner legs l upstanding and having inwardly extending top flanges '2 disposed at an angleconforming, to the pitch of the. roof. Galvanized metal roofsheets B span the car from side plate to. side plate and rest on the inwardly extending top flanges 2 thereof.

As shown in the drawing, the roof sheets B have raised flat topped panelsl 3 along their adjacent side margins and upstanding flanges ll along the adjacent edges of said panels that are covered by inverted LJ-shaped metal seam caps C that are rigidly secured by horizontal rivets .5 to said flanges and have ,outstanding base flanges D that seat on said panels, whverebysaid panels, anges and Vseam caps cooperate so as together to form rigidupstanding seams which function as the load carrying members or outside carlines of the roof structure. K

As shown in the drawing,` the roof sheets B are turned down at the eaves to formdepending eaves flanges E that overhang the upstanding inner legs l of the sideplates A and are rigidly of the raised side marginal panels 3 of the roof sheets B and the base flanges of the seam caps C towards the eaves, said panels preferably continuing downwardly along the depending eaves portions 8 of said caps to the lower ends thereon.'

According to the present invention, each ofthe seam caps C is composed of an outer sheet or ply 9 and an inner sheet or ply I0 that are preferably snugly die pressed together in superposed relation for application to the seam flanges 4 as a complete preassembled unit. The outer ply 9 of the unitary two-ply seam cap assembly C is a galvanized metal sheet that is thin enough to permit the sheet to be pressed into the desired shape ofthe seam cap without causing the zinc to flake from the base metal, while the inner ply II) of said assembly is made of ungalvanized or black iron for sake of economy and is made thick enough to provide the desired load carrying capacity when acting in combination with the other elements of the combination seam and carline construction. By providing the seam'cap C with a galvanized outer ply that is no thicker than one-sixteenth of an inch, the danger of the zinc ilaking olf is substantially eliminated; and, by die pressing together the inner and outer plies of said cap and then rigidly securing this unitary two ply seam cap to the seam flanges, a seam construction is formed of much greater strength than could be formed out of a single thicker galvanized sheet Without injury to its zinc coating. `The outer galvanized ply 9 of the seam cap covers and protects the outer surface of the inner ungalvanized ply ID thereof, while the galvanized roof sheets B cover and protect the inner surface l of said ungalvanized inner ply ofsaid cap.

As shown in the drawing, the outer side margins of the galvanized outside ply 9 of the twoply seam cap C extend beyond the outer side margins of the ungalvanized inside ply thereof and are disposed in. the plane of said last mentioned margins, so as, in the finished seam cap, to form depressed side marginal panels I'I that overhang and cover the side edges of said une galvanized inner ply and seat on the raised side marginal panels 3 of the galvanized roof sheets B.

As shown in Fig. 5, the galvanized outer ply 9 of the two-ply seam cap has the outerside marginal portions I2 thereof extended beyond the raised side marginal panels 3 of the roof sheets B and inclined downwardly to the lower plane or body portions of said sheets where they terminate in depressed side marginal panels I3 that seat or bear against said lower plane or body portions of said sheets. By this arrangement, longitudinal spaces I4 are formed between the roof sheets B and the extended outside marginal portions I2 of the galvanized outside ply 9 of the seam cap C along the raised side marginal panels 3 of said sheets, and these spaces serve as drain channels or passageways for carrying away any water that may leak beneath the depressed outer margins I3 of the extended portions of said galvanized outside ply; they also serve as ventilating panels to keep said spaces or passageways dry; and they also serve to break the line of contact between the roof sheets and said extended portions and thus prevent further flow of water into the seam by Icapillary attraction. The outwardly extended portions of the galvanized outside section of the seam cap also serve to increase the strength and rigidity of the standing seam construction as well as increasing the weatherproofing qualities thereof; and there is sufficient spring in said outwardly extended portions of the outside ply of said cap to keep the depressed margins I3 thereof in close contact with the roof sheets.

As the seam cap-C is made of two plies, the relative thickness of each ply can be varied in accordance with practical and economical considerations, the most important consideration being that the outer galvanized ply 9 shall be thin enough to undergo the necessary shaping operation without impairing its galvanized coat. Thus, as black iron sheets arecheaper than galvanized sheets, it is more economical to use aheavier gage sheet Illa for the inner ply than for the outer ply 9a, as shown in Fig. 4.

While this invention is especially adapted for the utilization of galvanized sheet metal for the cuter ply, said outer ply may be made of other metal sheets that are adapted to resist corrosion, such for instance, as a corrosion resistant alloy steel or a sheet that is especially treated to resist corrosion.

What I claim is: 4

l. A car roof comprising galvanized metal roof sheets extending from side to side of the car and havin'1r upstanding flanges along their adjacent edges a two-ply seam cap extending from side to side of the car and covering and rigidly secured to said flanges, whereby said flanges and their associated cap togetherfunction as an outside carline, said seam cap having base flanges seating on said roof sheets on opposite sides of said upstanding flanges, the outside ply of said seam cap being madeof galvanized sheet metal thin enough to permit said ply to be pressed into shape without causing the galvanizing to flake, and the inside ply of said seam cap being made of ungalvanized metal. the base flange portions of scid galvanized outsidel ply extending outwardly beyond the base flange portions of the ungalvanized inside ply and thence downwardly into contact with said roof sheets, the outwardly extended portion of the base flange portions of said galvanized outside ply cooperating with said roof sheets to form longitudinal passageways between said extended base flange portions and said roof sheets. e l

2. A car roof comprising metal roof sheets eX- tending from side to side of the car and having raised panels along their adjacent margins and upstanding flanges along the adjacent edges of panels, and a two ply seam cap extending from side to side of the car and covering and .rigidly secured to said flanges, whereby said flanges and their associated cap together funcl, tion .es an outside carline, said caps having outstanding base flanges seating on said panels, the outsideply of said cap being made of galvanized metal thin enough topermit said ply to be pressed into shape without causing the galvanizing to the inner ply of said cap being made of ungalvanized metal. the base flange portions of said galvanized outside ply extending outwardly beyond said panels and the base flange portions of the ungalvanized inner ply and thence downwardly, thereby providing spaces between said roof sheets and said extended base flange portions of said galvanized outside ply.

3. A car roof comprising galvanized metal roof sheets extending from side to side of the car and having raised panels along their adjacent marins and upstanding iianges along the adjacent edges of said panels, and a two-ply sheet metal seam cap extending from side to side of the car and covering and rigidly secured to said flanges, said cap having base flanges seating on said panels, the outside ply of said cap being galvanized and thin enough to permit said ply to be pressed into shape Without causing the galvanizing to ake, and the inside ply of said cap being ungalvanized, the base flange portions of said galvanized outside ply extending outwardly beyond said panels and the base ange portions of the ungalvanized inside ply and having depressed marginal panels that seat on said roof sheets outwardly of said panels, thereby providing passageways alongside said panels between said roof sheets and said extended base flange portions of said galvanized outside ply.

4. A roof for a railway car having spaced side walls, said roof including a pair of galvanized metal roof sheets extending betweenand supported by said walls and formed with upstanding marginal flanges in contact with each other, and a carline extending between and supported by said walls, said carline comprising an upstanding hollow rib snugly straddling and rigidly secured to said roof sheet anges and base anges extending outwardly from said rib, said carline being Composed of an ungalvanized metal inner sheet and a galvanized metal outer sheet fitting each other snugly, both carline sheets being thiol; enough to be load supporting but the galvanized outer sheet being thin enough to permit said sheet to be pressed into shape without causing the galvanizing to nake, the base flange portions of said ungalvanized inner carline sheet seating on said roof sheets on opposite sides of the upstanding flanges thereof, and the base flange portions of said galvanized outer carline sheet extending outwardly beyond the base flange portions of said ungalvanized inner oarline sheet and being bent downwardly into Contact with said roo-f sheets entirely beyond Athe base flange portions of said ungalvanized inner carline sheet, whereby said ungalvanized inner carline sheet is protected from the corrosive action of the elements on all sides by said galvanized roof sheets and said galvanized outer carline sheet.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

